Resolution criteria

This market resolves based on credible experimental evidence that favours objective-collapse theory against standard quantum mechanics. The date is according to the fist time the experimental evidence is reported to the public in a written paper, which could be either a preprint or a published paper in a journal.

Background

Objective-collapse theories are proposed solutions to the measurement problem in quantum mechanics, explaining why quantum measurements give definite outcomes rather than superpositions. The GRW model was the first physical-collapse model; a later refinement known as continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) involved gradual, continuous collapse rather than a sudden jump.

Considerations

A series of increasingly precise experiments are making physical-collapse theories untenable. While deviations from standard quantum mechanics predicted by collapse models can potentially be detected in dedicated experiments, there is a growing number of experiments searching for spontaneous collapse effects. One of the biggest challenges in collapse theories is making them compatible with relativistic requirements, and the formulation of a proper Lorentz-covariant theory of continuous objective collapse is still a matter of research.